This invention relates to a machine for harvesting crop having rotatable rolls contactable by the crop and having a scraper assembly associated therewith for preventing the crop from being carried round the roll. The machine can be a baling machine, for forming cylindrical bales of crop, having a main frame on which the rolls are mounted to provide a baling chamber for the crop.
Machines, towed by a tractor, for forming large cylindrica1 bales of hay (so called "round" balers) are well known. As the machine advances, the crop is removed from a windrow by a pickup mechanism and delivered rearwardly to a baling chamber where it is rolled into a bale between sets of oppositely moving belts, the growing bale rotating about a horizontal axis and the baling chamber expanding with the bale. The belts are trained over rolls which extend laterally of the machine and most of which are journa11ed at either end in the sides of the machine.
During baling, stray crop can become entrapped in the region between the sides of the baler, the outermost belts and the rolls, whereupon the crop tends to wrap round the roll ends which can be detrimental to belt tracking on the rolls. The crop can also find its way into the bearings of the rolls and foul them.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,746 granted to Viaud on Aug. 23, 1983 there is described and claimed a baling machine which is designed to obviate the wrapping of crop along the length of a roll. In one arrangement described, an additional roll is provided over which the belts are alternately trained to give a staggered array with openings between the belts enabling stray crop to escape.
It is also known, e.g. from U.S. Pat. No. 4,155,298, to provide a scraper along the length of a roll in very close proximity to the roll surface to scrape off the wrapping crop, but although this may work well in some crop conditions if the roll is very accurately formed, it is not so satisfactory if these circumstances do not apply.
In our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 701,587 filed by Anstey on Feb. 13, 1985 (now U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,879) and having the same assignee as the instant case, there is described and claimed an invention which reduces the problem of crop wrapping round rolls and is particularly useful when used to protect the end of the rolls. It can be employed in conjunction with the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,746 or independently.
According to the invention of U.S. application Ser. No. 701,587 the scraper assembly includes an elongated member rigid with the roll and extending along it, the scraper being in contact with the member or closely spaced therefrom. The elongated element, which is preferably in the form of a spiral for moving the crop along the roll, can be machined more easily and with greater accuracy than the roll.
The present invention enables the further reduction in wrapping or buildup of crop which may still be experienced in wet difficult conditions.